When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Those who had been staring at Sehwa in surprise now turned their gazes towards the beast at her words.
A five-colored aura, emanating from the arrow’s feathers, faintly enveloped the beast’s form.
The spiritual power, acting as a sealing tool, prevented the shadow from dissipating, allowing them to clearly see its power.
‘…’
Elder Simjung’s jaw tightened.
The sealing tools he had brought wouldn’t be enough to contain beasts with this much power.
Just as he was frowning, worried about the gravity of the situation and the fact that he had shown this weakness to the Ju Clan woman…
“E-Elder Simjung!”
Hurried footsteps approached, crushing the grass underfoot.
Jae Munju, her body covered in small wounds, emerged from the shadows and knelt before Elder Simjung.
“Elder Simjung!”
“What happened to you?!”
“It’s terrible! The evil shadows… they’re attacking the shrine where the evil spirits are sealed! They’re tearing down the barrier!”
“W-What?!”
“If this continues, the shrine will collapse!”
Jae Munju squeezed her eyes shut, her face contorted in pain.
Her desperate and anguished expression conveyed the urgency of the situation.
Elder Simjung, sensing the gravity of the situation, was the first to mount his horse.
“Lead the way! I need to see this for myself!”
Jae Munju took the elder’s outstretched hand and climbed onto the horse in front of him.
“Elder! It’s too dangerous! We’ll escort you!”
“Ansang! Go back to the residence and request reinforcements!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“The rest of you, follow me!”
The Baek Clan warriors, their faces grim, followed Elder Simjung.
Sehwa, watching them from her horse, gestured with her chin. “Youngsun, Youngchae.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“The maids are taking too long. Go and bring them to where everyone just went.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Youngmoo, let’s follow them to this ‘shrine.’”
“Yes!”
Sehwa and the three sisters split up, their horses heading in two different directions.
Thump, rumble, thump.
Arriving at the shrine, Elder Simjung stopped, staring in disbelief at the tremors shaking the ground.
“…This…”
Jae Munju’s words about the shrine collapsing were true.
The evil shadows were swarming around the Baek Clan shrine, shaking the very earth.
“What in the world…”
The shrine, where all sorts of unclean things were sealed, had to be kept pure.
It was protected by a powerful barrier, yet somehow, these shadows weren’t affected. Moreover…
Rumble—
Elder Simjung’s face paled at the vibrating sound.
“N-No…”
It was the sound of the shrine being damaged by the shadows’ darkness.
‘What if the sealed evil spirits inside break free?’
What if those creatures rampaged through the Baek Clan territory, with the Clan Head away…?
The thought made his blood run cold.
If that happened, he would never be able to atone for his mistake, even in death.
“Neigh!”
As his horse, affected by the dark energy, thrashed about, Elder Simjung and Jae Munju quickly dismounted.
“Ugh!”
The moment his feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through his leg, as if he had stepped on thorns.
“Elder Simjung!”
“I’m fine,” he said, waving his hand dismissively at Jae Munju, who was looking at him with concern. His own well-being wasn’t important right now.
The warriors following him arrived soon after.
They also had to dismount, unable to control their horses, which were becoming increasingly agitated as they approached the shrine.
“We tried to eliminate some of them, but it’s too much for us to handle alone,” the Captain said, approaching Elder Simjung.
“It’s too dangerous to provoke them further, so let’s wait. I’ve requested reinforcements, we can deal with them when they arrive.”
“......”
Elder Simjung, his face grim, asked, “How long will it take?”
“The messenger knows the urgency of the situation, so he’ll be back soon.”
Sehwa was watching them quietly when…
Youngsun and Youngchae arrived with the maids, their faces grim.
Elder Simjung, disappointed that they weren’t reinforcements, shouted at Sehwa, “Why did you bring those children to such a dangerous place?! You should have brought your maids!”
It was a disrespectful tone, considering her position as the future Lady of the House, and a guest of the Baek Clan.
But Sehwa simply answered, “Of course, I brought them. They’re the ones who caused this.”
“W-What?!”
“Dealing with the immediate problem is important, but it’s equally important to find out who caused this and why.”
Sehwa’s gaze swept over the maids brought by Youngsun and Youngchae, then over the warriors and Jae Munju, before returning to Elder Simjung.
Her eyes gleamed with conviction. “So, you have to find and punish all the accomplices. Regardless of their reasons, regardless of their status!”
“......”
“Don’t you agree, Elder Simjung?”
…She knew.
Elder Simjung gritted his teeth.
That Ju Clan woman knew that he was behind this.
He had expected it, considering how she had sent that message directly to him after the tea incident yesterday, but…
To be outsmarted by a Ju Clan member…
He felt humiliated, but he swallowed his pride.
She was right.
He had to take responsibility to prevent this from happening again.
Just then…
“Elder Simjung!”
“Elder!”
“They’re here! They’re finally here!”
Reinforcements arrived, led by the messenger the Captain had sent, emerging from the forest.
They had met the messenger at the edge of the forest, where they had been waiting, just in case.
“Elder, what… what is all this…?”
They also dismounted, unable to control their horses as they approached the shrine.
“Are these all? Where are the others? Did you call for more reinforcements?”
“Yes, we did. But how… how did this happen?”
“That’s…”
Elder Simjung trailed off, unable to speak.
Perhaps because he was conscious of the Ju Clan woman watching him…
Or perhaps because he was too shocked by the scene…
His leg, which had been throbbing earlier, began to cramp.
His hands trembled.
He hid his hands behind his back.
Rumble—!
The shrine, surrounded by the shadows, shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.
“!!”
The situation was clear.
The shrine was about to collapse.
The Baek Clan’s seals were strong, so not everything would escape.
But if the creatures sealed during the time of the Divine Beasts were released, the current Baek Clan warriors wouldn’t be able to handle them.
Elder Simjung closed his eyes tightly and shouted, “Everyone, stand back!”
“Elder Simjung!”
If he had known this would happen, he would never have done it.
But it was too late now.
Elder Simjung unleashed his spiritual power, preparing to self-destruct if necessary to stop the shadows from damaging the shrine further.
“Elder!”
The warriors, realizing his intentions, shouted in alarm.
He was burning his Core, intending to sacrifice himself to contain the damage.
“No, Elder! You can’t!”
Several warriors rushed towards him, trying to stop him.
As everyone watched the scene unfold…
Rumble—!
The ground around the shrine suddenly collapsed, except for the area directly beneath it.
“Aaaargh!”
“Kyaaa!”
Fortunately, the collapse stopped after a certain distance.
But it had already swallowed the evil shadows, several Baek Clan warriors, Elder Simjung, and even a few of the maids who had been standing further away.
The Captain approached the edge of the chasm, his eyes wide with shock.
A bottomless pit had appeared, as if a massive cavern had been hidden beneath the earth.
“What in the…”
Just then, Youngsun grabbed Jae Munju, who was trying to escape, and threw her into the chasm.
“Kyaaa!”
“!!”
The warriors rushed forward to save her, but she had already disappeared into the darkness.
“What have you done?!”
The Captain, his face contorted with rage, reached for Sehwa’s shoulder.
Sehwa calmly met his gaze and said in a flat voice, “Let’s go in too.”
“W-What?”
“Are you just going to leave them down there?”
The Captain, taken aback by her words, looked at the chasm.
“…Go in? There?”
It was a bottomless pit.
It looked like a place from which there was no return.
‘And she’s saying she’ll go in? To rescue them? How?’
“My lady, should we throw the rest of the maids down there as well?”
“Go ahead.”
“…!”
The three sisters immediately grabbed the remaining maids and threw them into the chasm.
And before the Captain could react, they jumped in after them.
“......”
‘She… wasn’t joking?’
“Haven’t you made up your mind yet?” Sehwa clicked her tongue, seeing the Captain hesitating. “It doesn’t matter if the reinforcements don’t come. And your subordinates don’t have to come either. But…” Sehwa’s crimson eyes narrowed, her gaze fixing on a few of the warriors. “Those I’ve chosen, and you, Captain, have no choice. So choose.”
“…W-What… do you mean?”
The warriors she had chosen were the ones who had carried out Elder Simjung's plan.
Realizing that she knew everything, the Captain’s tone turned cautious as he asked, “Well, of course,” Sehwa replied, looking him up and down, “you can choose whether you jump in on your own, or if you’d like me to throw you in, like I did with the others.”
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